Wednesday, September 22, 2010

I have just completed a new documentary entitled, "Peter's Story" which relates to my strong belief in using rich media that has a strong emotional component. If you click on the image, you will be sent to a Mediasite web cast of the video. I enourage you to watch this emotional story. You will not take smoke alarms for granted after watching this program. Enjoy, but also remember.

Monday, September 20, 2010

On August 31, I held an interactive poster presentation at the 12 Annual Teaching and Learning Conference held at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The title of the presentation was, "There's an App for That- Using iPads in Education." Matt Ebert (photo-right) and Kevin Mont from Apple Corporation collaborated with me on the session. Approximately 200 faculty members attended and interest was extremely high for this new mobile appliance. I showcased some free and very intriguing apps and also demonstrated how to project selected applications to an external monitor or video projector. Videos and web pages can display fairly well, but most other applications cannot be projected at this time. I am certain this situation will quickly change as more apps are added daily. There is also interest in how Flash video could play on the iPad but this is still under development. We shall see how this unfolds.

Some of the most interesting apps discussed include:

Planets- see what constellations and planets can be seen at specific times and locationsAppsMosaic- get a random search of free and paid apps with a mosaic interface- it's fast!Shakespeare- download the best of the playwright for freeBombardier- a game that helps you to understand gravitational forces- very addictiveAction Buggy- a game that improves your hand (finger) and eye coordinationEpic Citadel- demonstration of high quality graphics, navigation, and sound- highly recommended!VGA Expedition- display some apps on an external monitor or projectorX Invasion 2- free game for flying a fighter jet or Corsair aircraft- get a sense of flying and navigationDinosaurs- Tour the American Museum of Natural History for freeGravity HD- game of logic and physics- highly interactive game, and allows for custom designCrystal Portal HD- interactive mystery with high quality graphics, music, requiring problem solving skillsLouvre- tour artwork, learn about the masters, and take it on your own tour at the Louvre for free